Gas and electricity utility Centrica has switched on an cloud-based service desk system from supplier Service-now.com.

The Service-now.com system was implemented with support from Fujitsu, which called it one of the most complex single phase implementations of the technology. Centrica already outsources application management to Fujitsu.

Centrica expects to provide more scalable and cost effective IT service management using the system. It will allow different business units to connect to the system, while keeping data separated according to regulatory requirements.

Switching on the new system involved service configuration, legacy systems integration, service deployment and training for over 1,500 process users. The design and implementation phases took seven months.

Peter Simmons, head of the project at Centrica, said: “Integration into the new system has been a very complex process but it has been managed quickly and simply.”

In other Centrica news, British Gas today announced it had acquired a 16 percent stake in home energy management services firm AlertMe, for £5.7 million.

British Gas will be able to implement the AlertMe Home Area Network platform, which aims to help them manage and control a wide range appliances over the internet or smart phone, in customers' home. The move comes as it rolls out smart energy devices in UK homes.

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